Tonjia Rolan Spring is a near and so is the start of tornado season on the High Plains. Eastern New Mexico spawns 75 percent of the state’s thunderstorms that produce tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website. The state sees about 10 twisters a year and thunderstorm and tornado activity usually peak […]

Tonjia Rolan Spring is a little more than a week away. So is the start of tornado season on the High Plains. Eastern New Mexico spawns 75 percent of the state’s thunderstorms that produce tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website. The state sees about 10 twisters a year and thunderstorm and […]

Tornadoes and reports of them make us nervous. That’s because residents in eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle have either experienced the storms’ violence or at least seen the debris remnants that immediately show us their horrific power. AccuWeather.com is warning Americans that today could be ripe for large tornado outbreaks across multiple states […]

Courtesy photo 1st Lt. David Stuckenberg, a pilot in the 3rd Special Operations Squadron at Cannon, holds a cat found in the rubble on May 24. Lt. Stuckenberg facilitated a relief convoy to Joplin, Mo., as soon as he was notified that the tornado destroyed his hometown. By 1st Lt. David Stuckenberg: 3rd Special Operations […]

Liliana Castillo: Freedom New Mexico Clovis residents, clockwise from top left, Landon Mihalik, , Zachary Mihalik, Tyler Mihalik, and Isaac Forsyth will be running a lemonade stand today to raise money for families affected by a tornado that hit Joplin, Mo. Liliana Castillo While listening to his mother talk about a family they knew who […]

Courtesy photo: Kari Nevins A shot from the living room of the Nevins home looking toward their neighborhood Sunday after the storm. Numerous homes were destroyed and 123 people were killed in Joplin, Mo., Sunday when an EF5 tornado hit the city. Portales resident Carolyn Thompson has started a fund for her daughter, Kari Nevins’ […]

Courtesy photo: Delaney Ware The Tuscaloosa, Ala. tornado as seen from Delaney Ware’s dorm room at the University of Alabama Wednesday at 5:47 p.m., CDT. Russell Anglin Delaney Ware said she is lucky to be alive today. The 19-year-old University of Alabama freshman nursing student and 2010 Clovis High School graduate said a devastating tornado […]

Each year approximately 1,000 tornadoes touch down in the U.S. Only a small percentage actually strike occupied buildings, but every year a number of people are killed or injured. There is a very small chance a tornado will strike a building you are in however, you can greatly reduce the chance of injury from a […]

I always have loved to call Clovis home. The amazing people of this area have always shown great heart, soul, courage and faith with any challenge we have faced. Recent examples include getting off the Base Realignment and Closure list in 2005 and the tornado recovery effort in 2007. Now we get to face our […]

CNJ staff Human error led to the sounding of tornado sirens in Clovis just before 1 a.m. Thursday. The alarm that sounded was the one intended to serve as the routine system test that takes place weekly at 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to Deputy Police Chief Mike Ingram. Ingram said when the test time was […]

CNJ staff District Judge Teddy Hartley upheld his 10-year prison sentence Wednesday of a woman who stole money from a tornado relief fund. Originally sentenced May 31 in Hartley’s court, Lori Howard had filed a motion asking him to reconsider. District Attorney Matt Chandler said Howard’s attorney asked Hartley to consider probation in lieu of […]

By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer A tornado siren that has been out of service in west Clovis has been repaired and will be reinstalled in coming days. But another out-of-commission siren won’t be replaced until the city gets the money, according to Ken De Los Santos, local emergency management director. Tornado sirens, in conjunction […]

CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Storm clouds darken the sky over Texico and Clovis Tuesday afternoon. CNJ staff Real life alert sirens sounded in Clovis for the first time since the March 23, 2007, tornado. Funnel clouds were spotted Tuesday south of Clovis but apparently moved through the area without causing damage. Aside from weekly […]

File photo Residents that were victims of the tornado attempted to make sense of the devastation the next day by taking inventory of what they could find. By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer Jim Blevins refers to his home and neighborhood as ground zero. The tornado that ripped through it is three years gone. The […]

By Judy Brandon: Religion columnist I am ready for some rain now. I would like to hear that thunder, see that lightening am ready for spring. Yet, thunderstorms bring me back to thoughts of tornado country in the rural area in Arkansas where my grandparents lived. When I was a child, I delighted in the […]

File photo: Airman 1st Class Thomas Trower Cannon airmen assisted Clovis residents in cleanup efforts following a tornado on March 23, 2007. Having a plan and knowing what to do if a storm hits can reduce loss and damage. By Senior Airman Richard DeLong: 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron While there are many types […]

CNJ staff photo: Tony Bullocks Numerous mobile homes off of South Prince Street were destroyed by the tornado, as seen in this photo taken March 24, the morning after. By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer Two years ago today, many residents were greeted by sights of destruction and debris when they emerged from their homes […]

Lori Howard By Gabriel Monte: CNJ staff writer A 40-year-old Clovis woman has been charged with embezzling more than $145,000 in tornado relief funds, according to a press release Monday from the district attorney’s office. Lori Howard, a former project manager for Eastern Plains Council of Government, is charged with 34 counts of fraud, 24 […]